5 vie for Barnesville commission seat

Two incumbents seek to return to office

Residents of Barnesville will vote Monday night for the three members of the Barnesville Town Commission.

This year's election in the community of fewer than 200 people is contested  five candidates, including two incumbents, are running. Commissioners serve two-year terms.

The death of Pete Menke in January created a vacancy on the commission. Menke was a commissioner for 36 years and was mayor for the past 10.

Following the election, the three commissioners choose which of them will serve as mayor.

Barnesville is an incorporated municipality that controls matters such as zoning; it also provides trash service and maintains the street lights and the town hall.

The candidates are Luke Fedders, Bonnie Brown, Barbara Davidson, J. Houston Miller and Mildred Callear. All but Callear were profiled in last week's Gazette.

This is the second time Callear, 55, has run for the commission. Callear is a member of the town's planning commission and used to attend town commission meetings regularly, she said.

"I've benefitted a lot by being a citizen of Barnesville and it's my responsibility to give back," she said. "It's a good thing to increase my involvement in town affairs. All of us living in Barnesville by choice moved here because we really appreciated the open, green space in the community."

At one time Barnesville was self-sufficient, but now has to keep up with state and county requirements, Callear said.

"We have to be vigilant to be sure we can preserve and protect this way of life," she said.

An attorney, Callear works for a nonprofit group that encourages investment in developing countries.

She has lived in Barnesville since 1988. She and her husband, Jim, adopted daughters Darina, 15, and Marina, 14, from the Republic of Georgia 10 years ago.

"... It's not about me," Callear said. "It's about the greater community here, the needs of the citizens here."

If You Go

What: Election of Barnesville commissioners

Where: Town Hall, 18001 Barnesville Road

When: 5 to 8 p.m. Monday

Details: Anyone 18 or older who has been a resident of Barnesville for at least six months may cast a ballot in a decades-old Capital Perfectos cigar box, a long-standing town tradition. Once elected, the commissioners will select a president, known informally as the town's mayor.